Then I found out that Gérard had saved the best Château for last: Azay-le-Rideau, an exquisite, almost miniaturized gem on an intimate bend in the River Loire, with a cobalt blue roof and perfectly symmetrical turrets to match. The sight of it took my breath away.

We admired it from all outside angles, then entered and followed the crowds through the unadorned but magnificent hallways and up the imposing stone stairways. Unlike some of the other castles, the interior was bathed with light, an effect emphasized by the near-whiteness of its stone walls and staircases.

When we had gotten to the upper limit allowed to the public, I spied a rope blocking off the top floor and began to descend the staircase. Gérard, however, stopped me.

"Hang the rope," he said. "Let’s see what’s up there."

"But it’s not allowed," I argued. "That’s obvious - from the rope suspended over the stairway."

"Who’s to know?"

He glanced around quickly to see if anyone was looking. Then, seizing the opportunity, he grabbed me and headed up the stairs.

It soon became evident why the uppermost regions of the castle were off-limits. The floors were in disrepair, as were the walls. This did not bother Gérard. Seeing a closed door, he immediately tried to unfasten it, and after a considerable amount of effort he managed to pry it open. Pulling me inside, he then closed the door behind us.

We had entered an otherworldly atmosphere: a cavernous attic with uncharacteristically high ceilings, where assorted antique items were stored that hadn’t yet found homes. In spite of its lack of decor, the room had a vibration of ancient times and events oozing from every nook and cranny. We looked around, awed, at this quiet, magical place, then Gérard pulled me to him.

"I want to make love to you here," he whispered.

I panicked. "What? Here? What if someone… catches us?"

"No one will. It’s off-limits, after all." He kissed my neck hotly. "Oh, I’m so turned on by you."

My mind raced as I considered the consequences of such an audacious act. What could happen if we were caught? We’d be thrown out of the castle, for sure, but would we be arrested? Would I be thrown out of the country?

Ancient voices seemed to whistle around my ears as I pondered my fate. The atmosphere was so intimate, so steeped in antiquity. It would be like joining a guild of spirits, former lords and ladies who had themselves stolen behind the ancient wooden door and indulged in their private fantasies.

Thus I threw caution to the winds as I let myself be carried away by the passion and desire of my companion, one of the descendants of these voices from the past. We made love quickly and urgently, at once excited and frightened by the threat of being discovered. And for a few brief moments, I had become a denizen of that ancient Château of the Loire.

Violinist turned author ERICA MINER has had a multi-faceted career as an award-winning author, screenwriter, journalist and lecturer. A native of Detroit, she studied violin with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Joseph Silverstein at Boston University where she graduated cum laude; the New England Conservatory of Music; and the Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony, where she performed with such celebrated conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Erich Leinsdorf. Erica went on to perform with the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Company for twenty-one years, where she worked closely with renowned maestro James Levine.

When injuries from a car accident spelled the end of her musical career, Erica drew upon her lifelong love of writing for inspiration and studied screenwriting in New York and Los Angeles with script gurus Linda Seger and Ken Rotcop. Erica’s screenplays have won awards in a number of recognized competitions such as WinFemme, Santa Fe and the Writer’s Digest.

Inspired by journals she wrote during her travel adventures abroad, Erica penned the novel and screenplay of Travels With My Lovers, winner of the Fiction Prize in the Direct from the Author Book Awards. She also has written the feature screenplay and TV Series Bible for FourEver Friends, the first in her journal-based novel series chronicling four teenage girls' coming of age in Detroit in the volatile 1960s, as well as subsequent novel in the series, which are set in Boston and New York. In addition, Erica has written the screenplay of her suspense novel Murder In The Pit, published by Twilight Times Books, which takes place at the Met Opera. She is now at work on a sequel to this highly successful thriller.

Erica's lectures, seminars and workshops on writing and on opera have received kudos in venues across the West Coast, including the Wagner Societies of New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and Northern California; and on the High Seas, where she was named a top-rated speaker for both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines. Her many topics range from "The Art of Self Re-Invention" to "Journaling for Writers: Mining the Gold of Your Own Experiences”, "Wagner and Bernstein: Parallels and Contrasts" and "Opera Meets Hollywood."

TV Land's comedy breakout smash, YOUNGER, has struck a chord with women across America, garnering a devoted female TV audience during its first two seasons.

The main character is a single mother who is looking for love, a theme that has resonated deeply throughout the country since the birth of Women's Lib. With upwards of 13 million single moms (not to mention countless single “Bridget Jones” sympathizers) residing in the US, author and former Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica Miner offers hope to women who are desperately seeking an escape from the the doldrums of single life and find personal fulfillment, through her award-winning novel, Travels With My Lovers.

Drawing on her journals written while traveling in Europe both solo and with her children, Miner penned her novel with a dual goal: first, to entertain; and second, to speak to all generations of women, past, present, and future, and encourage them to express their emotional freedom.

Miner has taken her expertise on the road, lecturing to audiences from California to the East Coast to the High Seas on such subjects as “Journaling to Empower Your Life,” “Relationships and the Single Mom” and “The Journey of Self-Reinvention.” A former “Desperate Housewife” who survived to tell the tale, Erica is currently available for media interviews.

KUDOS

“Travels With My Lovers is a sensual and involving saga, adroitly presented and skillfully narrated.”
James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review

“...From funny to frustrating and everything in between...chronicles a woman’s sexual awakening with humor and wisdom.”
Amy Brozio-Andrews, Absolute.Write.com